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Church project gets funds

HYDE SQ.—The Blessed Sacrament Church complex redevelopment is on track for a possible fall construction start after the state committed $5.6 million in construction funds.

The development team—the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (JPNDC) and New Atlantic Development—will receive affordable housing construction funds from the state Department of Housing and Community Development.

JPNDC Executive Director Richard Thal called it a “major commitment for two projects.” It will help fund renovation of the former convent and construction of a new mixed-use building.

The church site redevelopment is intended to progress in stages, with the actual church renovation coming last. The Hyde Square Task Force is already in the process of moving expanded programs into part of the site.

State Rep. Jeffrey Sánchez advocated for the funding. Blessed Sacrament and the nearby Mt. Pleasant Home were the only two Boston sites to receive funding. [See related story.]

“Both projects show a commitment to increasing housing that is affordable within Jamaica Plain, a resource that will certainly benefit the community,” Sánchez said in a press statement.